Electric Heater Recommendations?

[Bart31]

Hi again,

You all were so helpful with my propane/heater question I thought I would throw out another topic to get some feedback on. I need to decide between radiant/oil filled/ceramic heaters. Any experience with how well each kind heats the coach? And if any difference in energy efficiency between them?

[Golden_HVAC]

bluwtr49 wrote:
Electric heaters all put out the same amount of heat. They are all ~1500 watts so the only difference is how they distribute the heat.

I go for the smallest cheapest ones ($15.00 to $25.00) available it will do just as good a job as one 14X the cost.

I have several of the $75 oil filled heaters at my work, for use in the apartments when the gas furnace is not working right (to avoid overtime charges). They take to long to warm up, once you unplug them, they have to cool about 15 minutes before they are cool enough to pick up and put into a closet for storage. You can imagine your dog or cat getting burned by them (or grandkids who do not know better than to touch anything).

I carry the $15 - $25 fan and electric heater in my RV. They all have a thermostat, and are adjustable from low to high heat output. If it is say 55F outside, then running on low can keep it warm, while not cycling off to much. I like the ability to warm up the bathroom in a couple of minutes and to set it to fan only for 10 seconds, then it is ready to go into the closet for storage.

As stated above, any electric resistance heater with a 1,500 watt input will put out the exact same amount of heat. It is just that the $25 2 pound heater that I use are less expensive, put out heat almost instantly, and cool off in 10 seconds.

Those "Amish" heaters with a pair of 750 watt quartz lights inside them are not making any more heat than a standard electric heater. In fact they might not produce a full 3,400 Btu's per KW because some of the electricity is made into light, not heat. What they must spend on TV adds is incredible, and then they ask someone to spend over $200 on a heater! Their "Claim" that customers write in and say "I saved over $200 a month in my heating bills" - I wonder about some of those claims. Perhaps that customer had a very leaking gas furnace air leaks, or oil fired heaters, or something. Perhaps that customer saw their gas bill go down by $200 and only heats one room in the home now, and the electric bill went up by $75 and they did not mention that. . .

Fred.

[pianotuna]

I tuck oil filled units into otherwise wasted space. The slow reaction time is a benefit if there is a need to load balance on a 15 amp shore power supply. For example, before I purchased the hybrid inverter, if I wanted to fry an egg on a hotplate, I had to turn off the heater. It would "coast" for a while so the RV did not cool down. I use 1/2 size units that draw 462 watts each.

Blaster Man wrote:
Two problems with oil heaters are that they are heavy and take a long time to get warm.

[Bumpyroad]

Blaster Man wrote:
We use two Lasko towers from Wal Mart. Two problems with oil heaters are that they are heavy and take a long time to get warm.

and they take a long time to cool. which gives you uniform heating, not hot/cold/hot/cold and repeat.
bumpy

[pianotuna]

Unvented combustion heaters should not be used. If you must be cheap, then at least do not use them when sleeping.

[DSDP_Don]

Bill.....When we boon dock, we use this.....Buddy Heat. It's very safe and can be run overnight. You can use propane canisters or connect it via an optional hose to your main line. They make a larger unit, but we find this smaller model keeps our 40 foot coach warm down to about 40 degrees.

[Sully2]

Bart31 wrote:
Hi again,

You all were so helpful with my propane/heater question I thought I would throw out another topic to get some feedback on. I need to decide between radiant/oil filled/ceramic heaters. Any experience with how well each kind heats the coach? And if any difference in energy efficiency between them?

Get the oil filled that looks similar to an old fashioned steam radiator

[Sully2]

Rescue16 wrote:
It is currently 24 degrees out and my oil filled heater is keeping my 35 foot a comfortable 68 degrees. I like them and feel safe running them when I am not in the RV. The ceramic heater puts off quick close up heat but would not feel safe leaving it on and not being in the RV.

All the way around I agree...AMEN!!

[jhilley]

We have used all the different types of electric heaters and used to like the oil filled best. We have found that the Infra Red type works better for us. It is the type of fan that is used in them. It moves the air and does an excellent job of heater the whole RV rather than "spot heating".

This is the one we use Lifepro Infra Red Heater. As mentioned they all put out the same amount of heat.

[Blaster_Man]

We use two Lasko towers from Wal Mart. Two problems with oil heaters are that they are heavy and take a long time to get warm.

[pasusan]

aztortuga wrote:
Highly recommend the electric heater "the Vornado". Has a real warranty, sold at stores like bed bath and beyond often with a discount coupon. We have found this to be the best one for us. The fan pushing the thermostat controlled air works very well. You can put your hand on the front of the unit and not be harmed. Has overheat and tip controlled for safety. They cost more than others but they they are well worth it in our opinion.

We use Vornados also. One in the RV and one in the S/B bathroom. Very quiet and heats up the air evenly throughout. One thing to look out for though - they did have some manufactured in China and there has been a recall - so look to make sure it was made in USA.

[guardrail53]

I have used the Stanley brand ceramic squirrel cage heater, 750/1500 watts, it moves a lot of hot air, and has a thermostat to regulate the heat. Not cheap, Lowes/Menards, 79 dls. The two I have work flawless for many years! And can be used as a fan too! Rail!:C

[Bumpyroad]

jojolou wrote:
We have both and prefer the oil filled radiator, it's a constant source of heat. The ceramic heaters are great for quickly heating, but they cycle on and off and naturally do not heat when off.

yep for comfort, etc., can't beat oil filled. if you want instant heat, the ceramic ones would be better. any $17 at wal mart ceramic would work.
bumpy

[pianotuna]

Hi,

If it is a choice between oil filled and radiant I prefer radiant. However I use oil filled when sleeping.

I won't buy a heater that has computerized controls as if the power fails for a second or two that type does not restart.

I use (in no particular order):

oil filled

radiant

electric heated carpets

fan based resistance heaters

a heat strip in the air conditioner

heater bars

heating pads

dual window fan to blow warmed air into the cabinets (it replaces the return air grill on the propane furnace)

I am able to heat 100% electrically with a peak demand of about 6000 watts.

[aztortuga]

Highly recommend the electric heater "the Vornado". Has a real warranty, sold at stores like bed bath and beyond often with a discount coupon. We have found this to be the best one for us. The fan pushing the thermostat controlled air works very well. You can put your hand on the front of the unit and not be harmed. Has overheat and tip controlled for safety. They cost more than others but they they are well worth it in our opinion.